


Regrets

by goodygoody19



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 22:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11277990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodygoody19/pseuds/goodygoody19
Summary: She tried not to react as he whispered,“He found out.”Oh no.(Morgana wonders if it even matters in the end.)





	Regrets

Haru Okumara loved her life.

What more could she ask for than a busy day, filled with learning and new discoveries? Well, her boyfriend, certainly, but Haru could hardly think of much else. Her life after that short time as a Phantom Thief was freeing. She could pursue what she wanted now, and no one could tell her how to live.

Still, the stresses of balancing college life, business meetings, and her job in Leblanc were certainly taking their toll on her. Letting herself sink onto a chair, Haru sighed in contentment… Only to groan at a vibration from her pocket. 

“Please, let it be _anything_ but another group project,” She murmured to herself. Sometimes – no, often – she wished she could carry her axe around with her. Alas, held above her mantle like a long-lost treasure it remained. What a waste.

Her dark expression immediately brightened as the name ‘Akira’ flashed on the screen. She quickly opened it up.

_ Akira: Hey Haru. Are you busy? _

_ Haru: For you? Never. _

She giggled to herself. Futaba would groan at that. Ann would probably coo… Or tell them to get a room.

_ Akira: Milady is much too kind. :P _

_ Akira: I’m bringing Morgana too. He _

Haru watched the steady pulse of dots for a full minute, but no explanation came. Well, if something was up, she would find out about it soon enough.

_ Haru: That’s wonderful! I’ll make sure to order some fish for him. _

_ Haru: Oh! I’ll make it sushi! _

_ Haru: See you soon, Akira! And you too, Mona-chan! _

The next half-hour felt like ages. Haru held herself back from jumping as the doorbell rang, instead patiently waiting in the private room she’d told the maid service to prepare. She mentally counted the steps to the room, rising just as the door opened. There he was!

... Oh dear.

Akira usually held himself confidently. Today, however, that confidence seemed absent as he walked inside, dressed in dark slacks and a form-fitting button down. Her brow creased at the tired smile on Akira’s face. 

“Akira?”

“Hey there, Haru. You’re looking as stunning as ever,” He said, stepping over for a quick kiss. She giggled at the compliment, leaning up to meet his lips. Pulling back, he ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry to drop in on you out of nowhere. I know you’ve been busy.”

“For you two? Like I said, I’m never busy. But I swear, if I get another text about ‘finishing our finance presentation’ I believe I shall tear the couch apart.” She let out a giggle, brushing her hair back over her ear before peering over Akira’s shoulder. “Where is Morgana?”

In response, Akira carefully pulled his bag around his shoulder and held it out. Haru peered inside to see a black cat with tired blue eyes looking back up at her. 

“Ah, there you are, Mona-chan! It is wonderful to see you again. It’s been too long.” Haru said. It hadn’t, not really. She’d seen him just this past weekend at Leblanc for dinner.

“Hey, Haru,” He replied with a sigh, and already Haru was worried. No peering over Akira’s shoulder? No comments about them kissing? And she hadn’t heard Morgana sigh like that since she’d first met him. Morgana gave himself a shake and pulled himself up to lean out of the back. “I heard there would be sushi, so I had to come. For sushi!” He wiggled his nose at her in that adorable way that Haru knew from experience he wouldn’t appreciate comment on. “And you too, of course.”

“What a gentleman,” Haru smiled. “I sent someone out only a little while ago to pick up some food for all of us.

“I thought  _ I  _ was a gentleman,” Akira protested, an impish grin on his face as he settled onto the couch.

She fell against his side, wagging a finger. 

“No, no. You are the thief of my heart, after all. You wonderful rogue, you.”

“I think you’ve stolen my heart too.” He said, a glimmer in his eye.

Morgana let out a scoff as he leapt onto the couch, but otherwise didn’t comment. Haru exchanged a look with Akira, who was as hard to read as ever.

Looking between the two, Haru clapped her hands. “So, tell all me about your week! Has anything interesting happened?”

“I did get a message from a charming doctor, telling me how she longed for the day of my return.”

Haru shook her head. From what Morgana said and her own experiences, she knew Akira was paraphrasing heavily. “And I suppose you told her you were taken?”

“Of course. My  _ girlfriend  _ here has all my attention, after all,” He said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She tried not to react as he whispered, “ _ He found out _ .”

Oh no.

It had only been a week or so. The gang had taken the weekend off and gone to Inokashira Park together. It had been quite an enjoyable time - especially once Haru won Akira a stuffed Jack Frost from the strongman game - and seeing everyone had been wonderful. At the time, though, Haru had noticed Ryuji acting odd. He kept clenching and unclenching his hands, watching Ann with a worried look on his face.

Haru found out later that night, from the girl’s chatroom, that Ryuji had mustered up the courage later that day to ask Ann out – And that she’d agreed. That had been a fun conversation, resulting in a group video call and an increasingly flustered Ann. Haru was happy for her friend.

Silence radiated from Morgana’s place on the couch as Akira pulled back. Some tact would be needed here, Haru reflected. If she bluntly came out and asked Morgana, he would vehemently refuse discussion… Or pout in silence. And where would that leave them all? Awkwardly drinking from their… Oh, she’d forgotten to grab drinks for everyone.

Well, that wouldn’t do at all. 

Clasping her hands together, she rose with a smile. 

“While we wait for the food, why don’t I go grab us something to drink? Be back in just a moment!”

* * *

 

“Why are we here, Akira?” Morgana asked, once Haru was out of the room. He laid down dejectedly on the couch. “Are you  _ trying  _ to rub it in my face how everyone but me is dating someone they like?”

“I thought you should get out of Leblanc and get another opinion.” Akira sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “You’re my friend, Morgana. I want to help you.”

Morgana broke eye contact and muttered something under his breath. Akira leaned in closer and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. 

“I said, if Ryuji was actually a friend he wouldn’t have done something like that!” Morgana snapped at him.

Akira narrowed his eyes. 

“That’s not fair to Ryuji or Ann.”

“I know that! I’m not an idiot!” Morgana hissed. After a moment, he shook his head and turned around, posture stooped. “I just never had a chance…”

Akira didn’t know what to say to that. So he said nothing at all.

* * *

 

Haru returned a few moments later, balancing a silver platter holding two cups, a kettle, and a bowl of water. The room was silent, Akira holding his head while Morgana faced obstinately away from him. 

She placed the platter on the table and poured a drink for Akira. He smiled in response, taking the offered cup. Morgana didn’t even turn as she sat back down. 

“Morgana? I have some water for you if you’d like.”

“I’m not thirsty.” He replied. After a moment, he turned his head and offered a small smile to her. “Thanks, though.”

“Well, if you change your mind, it’s right there for you.” Haru said. Taking her own drink, she inhaled and let out a sigh. She could feel the stress drop away from her body, if only for a moment. She only took a small sip before placing her cup back down.

She turned to face her feline friend. “Can I hold you, Mona-chan? You fur is sticking out a bit, and I’d like to smooth it for you.”

He gave a little shake of his head, not meeting her eyes. “I’ll just fix it later.”

“Morgana, please,” Haru said, looking down with a sad smile. “For me?”

He willingly settled into her arms without another word. 

Next to her, Akira took a sip of coffee. The smile he gave afterwards sent her heart aflutter. “Definitely improved the flavor in this one, Haru. It tastes wonderful.”

“Well, it’s thanks to Boss’ lessons. The floodgates of the coffee world are open, with him leading the way.” She smiled at the cat in her arms. “If only you could try some, Mona-chan. You’re really missing out.”

“Maybe I should. It’d be better than this.” Morgana said, letting out another sigh.

“No.” Akira frowned at him. “No coffee-induced heart attacks.”

“My heart is already broken, Akira!” He snapped, wriggling his way out of Haru’s grip. He stalked onto the table, turning around to face them.

“Mona-chan, what happened?” Haru gasped, a hand rising to her lips. “Did you finally confess to Ann? What did she say?” Morgana didn’t need to know she already knew what had actually happened… Hopefully he hadn’t overheard Akira’s aside earlier.

Morgana let out a sharp laugh, staring so intently at her coffee mug Haru thought it might shatter. 

“No, I didn’t.  _ Ryuji _ did.” He spit the name out, before trailing off. “… At some point, anyway.”

Her heart twisted at the exhausted tone of his voice. Beside her, Akira sighed. 

“ _ He found out yesterday _ ,” He whispered into Haru’s ear.

Haru had known of Morgana’s infatuation from early on. It would have been hard not to, considering how he called her ‘Lady Ann’. But when complaining about how the Phantom Thieves didn’t want or need him, she recalled her small friend’s voice cracking when he spoke of Akira and his ‘Lady.’  _ “She’s so wonderful, and I thought he cared… We’d made a deal, and they both did nothing!”  _ Her heart had twisted at his words. For all his anger, it was clear Morgana had felt alone. That had been enough for her to aid him in his plans… Even if they didn’t go quite as intended.

Which was good! Haru had been so glad when they had all made up; her own worries about the future had faded into the background as she watched Morgana admit how much he wished to stay. Even then, she’d been able to see how much of an effect he had on the Phantom Thieves - and how much they affected him. She’d been so glad to be welcomed into such a group, and supported the entire way.

But as much as she wished to see Morgana happy, the whispers of Milady had only reinforced her own inkling of the truth: This crush would only end in heartbreak for her friend.

“Morgana…” Haru began, not quite sure how to approach this. Her own struggles were with miscommunication, so perhaps that would be a good place to start. “It must hurt to know about this, but is it truly so life-ending?”

“Yes!” Morgana cried out, fur on end. “It’s betrayal!”

“I don’t quite understand. From who, exactly, Mona-chan?” Haru said, head tilted at his feline form. Her eyes widened. “Oh! You mean that strange old man, Igor! It  _ is  _ rather rude to choose someone’s appearance without their permission or input.”

From the sound of Akira’s chuckling and the slow shaking of Morgana’s head, she appeared to have missed the mark. 

“No, my Master isn’t at fault.” He said, “He could only have done so much for me at the time.”

“Oh. My apologies, then.” Her eyes widened. “But, can’t he do something now?”

“No.” The room fell silent. Morgana closed his eyes, falling limp in her arms. 

Haru looked worriedly over to Akira, who gave a slow shake of his head. 

“I haven’t been able to access the Velvet Room since that December.” He said, “Believe me, I would have asked again.”

“Again...? Oh. Right, that terrible creature…” Memories of that disgusting so-called god briefly flashed, and Haru barely suppressed her shudder at the memory of  _ fading _ ... “Regardless, I can understand why you feel this way, but why such a deep reaction, Morgana?”

“I just don’t understand. She fell for Ryuji!” Morgana shouted. Haru absentmindedly wondered if any of the staff passing by could hear them. If they did, they might think they were torturing an actual cat. “Stupid, barbaric, bones-for-brains  _ Ryuji _ !”

“Morgana, that’s not very nice.” Haru frowned. “It’s not right to say such things about your friend.”

“Yeah. Friend.” All the fight seemed to drop out of him as Morgana laid himself down on the table. “It probably never mattered anyway. Lady Ann would still see me as a… A cat.”

Akira looked at her helplessly. She could understand. Even now, after all of this, he still called her Lady Ann.

“Mona-chan?” Haru said. She stood up, watching for any sort of reaction from her friend. “We don’t think of you that way at all.”

“Tell that to Ryuji,”  Morgana mumbled. He slumped further onto the table. “What does it matter. I’m useless like this anyway…”

“You are most certainly not useless.” Haru proclaimed, grabbing him once more. She ignored the surprised yowling and turned Morgana to look him in the eyes. “I know for a fact that the only reason Akira has a proper sleep schedule is because of you.”

“Hey!”

She ignored her offended boyfriend, watching a twitch of a smile rise to Morgana’s face. 

“And you have helped me just as much as Akira. For one thing, I never would have guessed at how extravagant a grenade launcher could be without you!”

A choked noise escaped Akira, but the comment had its intended effect. Morgana’s smirk was fully visible now, looking up at her with the most  _ adorable  _ look on his face. 

“I did teach the two of you everything you know about being Phantom Thieves, after all.” His face fell again into a little pout. “But now I can’t even do that.”

“But you can do other things!” Haru replied. She settled Morgana better in her arms. “You’re still the best thief we know! Oh! I’m sorry, Akira,” She said. He shot her a mock affronted look in return. Focusing back on Morgana, she continued, “ _ And  _ you’re quite the mechanic. I’m still amazed by how you fixed up that van. You’re really quite skilled with those paws of yours.”

He gave a shake of his head. “But that’s just you guys. I want to be able to show the whole world that I’m more than just a cat.”

“Morgana, since when did Phantom Thieves care about what society thought of us?” Akira asked. 

He pursed his mouth, and looked away from Haru’s face. “... Never.”

“Then what is the problem?” Haru prodded. “Morgana, why did you never tell Ann how you felt?”

“I never said it because I… I was scared!” Morgana buried his face into his paws. “She would have laughed at me, and then I never could have faced her. Not like this.”

“Oh, Mona-chan…”

“It’s Ann. Yes, she’d probably have teased you a little bit, but she wouldn’t have done anything worse.” Akira said, taking another sip of coffee. “You’ve said it yourself. Ann is a very observant person when it comes to feelings.”

“Exactly!” Haru gave a scratch behind Morgana’s ears. After a moment, she added, “She would certainly notice your honesty and worries. Ann isn’t cruel enough to hurt you. The worst she would ever have said was ‘no.’”

Morgana looked back and forth between the two of them before burrowing his head against her. 

“I just want to be human,” He murmured into her blouse. He let out a sigh as she slowly stroked his back. “I want to be like you guys. I never had a chance to woo Lady Ann because of my form. Like this, all I’ll ever be seen as is a pet.”

“Not by us,” Akira said, standing up beside Haru. He threw an arm around her, and with his other, took one of Morgana’s paws in hand. “You’re my best friend, Morgana.”

“And you’re my best teacher.” Haru added, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “We wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

Haru pulled back to see Morgana’s head bowed down. When he looked back up, there were tiny tears welling up in his eyes. 

“Thanks you guys.” Morgana said, letting out a sniffle. “You’re the best friends anyone could ask for.”

“Aww, Mona-chan!”

“Ah, m’lady?” Haru looked over Akira’s shoulder to see her maidservant watching the three of them, her expression a heavy mix of confusion and concern. In her hands was an extravagant box of what appeared to be takeout. “Your, uh, order has arrived.”

Placing Morgana gently on the floor, Haru strolled over to her maid and took the container. “Thank you so much. You may take the rest of the day off, Inika.” She smiled pleasantly at her. “Oh! Would you like any coffee before you go? I made too much for us.”

Inika shook her head and bowed. “Thank you, but I must decline. Have a good night, m’lady.”

“‘M’lady’?” Akira asked, a familiar grin on his face when she turned around.

Haru couldn’t stop the blush from rising to her face.

“Akira, you know it’s rude to insult a fine young lady such as myself. I thought Morgana taught you better than that.” Haru said as she walked back. 

“Enough about that! There’s sushi!  _ Sushi! _ ” Morgana exclaimed, hopping onto the table and prowling around the container. Haru couldn’t quite hold back the giggle as his tail flicked about excitedly. 

As Akira separated the food and, troubles forgotten, Morgana excitedly dug into his portion (“The fattiest sushi around!”), Haru smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear, Morgana is my favorite character and I wanted to write more focused on the dude. I just couldn't get the thought out of my head of the poor guy reacting to Ann and Ryuji getting together, which resulted in this comfort fic. As for why it's Haru and Akira together... Have you seen that rank 9 platonic scene? Because I have, and I felt soooo damn guilty after.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> P.S. Special thanks to Chronicdelusionist for their awesome editing magic!


End file.
